Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-12-04
THE MAN IN THE MOON.
How that Ancient Myth IL Re.
0arded In Various COun tries.


Qarded In Various Countries.
All that have to say is to tell you that
the lantern Is the moon; !, the man in the
moon: this thorn bush my thorn-bush; and
this dog my dog-tMoonshine in "Midsum-
mer Nights Dream"
The myth about the "Man in the
Moon" is Of great antiquity; how old
we know not. Probably it dates back
far beyond the time of Moses, for
many ancient stories tell of the man
who was punished by death for gath
ering sticks on the Sabbath Numbers,
XIV, 32-36;) and though no allusion is
made in the bible record Of this re-
inarkable event to the moon,
yet it was generally supposed
lon before the days OF Moses
that the unfortunate Sabbath
breaker was sent to the moon, and
compelled to stay there forever after.
The story as it stands in the Book OF
Numbers is, of course, simply bias
phemous, as it attributes the mans
death to the actual command OF the
Almighty.
A we'll known German story tells
about the man who cut sticks ON the
Sabbath, and was caught up in the
moon, fagots and all, and there stands
to this day. Another tale told in
Swabia relates about manikin who
stole wood, and is still to be seen in
the moon. A Dutch household myth
accused the man in the moon OF steal
ing cabbage on Christmas eve; the
neighbors caught him just as he was
walking off with a good supply
and they wished % him
up in the moon. He stands
there to this day, bearing his load OF
cabbages. 1t is said that he turns
around once every Christmas Eve !;
but astronomy does not support the
idea. In Sylt, the man in the moon
was a sheep. stealer, and it was his
custom to entice the sheep with a
bundle of cabbages. He was placed
in The moon as an everlasting warn
ing to others. In Schambu z Lippe,
it is said that man and woman we G
sent to the moon the man because he
prevented people from going to church
on Sunday by strewing brambles and
thorn bushes in their way, and
the woman because she made butter
on Sunday. Northern mythology
tells about giant who inhabils
the moon, and is supposed to cause
the ebb and flow of the tides. When
he stoops the water flows, and when
he stands erect the water subsidies
again. This somewhat resembles the
Scandinavian myth about Bill and
Hjukl, who were taken up to heaven
by Mani. They were on their way to
the we'll OF Byrgir, bearing on their
shoulders the bucket of Soeg and the
pole Stimuli. They were placed in the
moon. and are supposed to regulate
her waxing and waning. Evidently
"Jack and Jill' of our nursery rhymes
reproduces this legend. Grimm says
that the water-pole of the heather
story has been transformed into the
axi shaft and the pole into the thorn
bwsh
In Hindoo mythology the moon
Chandra or Some--i- Il ale deity,
represented in one myth as tie son of
the patriarch Atri, and in another as
arising from the milk sea, when it was
churned by the gods SO as to obtain
the water Of life. The moon is gener-
ally represt nted as wearing white gar
ments, holding a mace in one hand
and riding in chariot drawn by ten
horses and antelopes. The hare is
sacred to him, and the Hindoos fancy
that they see the outline OF a hare on
the face of the moon.
In Africa the man in the moon is
supposed to have incurred the wrath
of the sun, and is, in punishment,
carved BY the knife, that is, by the
rays of the latter. This continues
until the whole OF the moon is cut
away, and only little piece left. The
moon implores the sun to have pity
on him and leave this morsel for his
children. The sun grants his request,
and the moon grows from this little
piece until at last it is a full moon.
Then the sun begins carving again.
In China the old man of the moon
is known as Yue-lao, and holds the
reins of ma riages of mortals in his
hands. The future husband and wife
are tied together by an invisible silken
cord, which is only severed at death.
Harley remarks, in his funny way,
that this must be the man of the
HONEYMOON. A Slavonic legend says
that the moon, king of night and hus'
band of the sun, falls in love with the
morning star, wherefore he was cloven
through in punishment, as we see him
in the sky.
A Russian story is told about a man
who sought for the isle in which
there was no death. He took up his
abode in the moon, but after hun
dred years or so had elapsed, death
came after him. A furi 'us struggle
ensued with the moon, and the latter
proving victorious, the man was
caught up in the sky, and now shines
Gas a star near the moon 1t was
not an unusual belief that the
moon was inhabited; some thought
her the place where human spirits
either came or went. Others
fancied it was prison cage in which
behind bars of light, miserable sinner;
we're to be exposed to all eternity as &
warning to all others. Some say the
man in the moon is Isaac, bearing ;
burden OF wood for the sacrifice o
himself on Mount Moriah Other!
that he is Cain, carrying bundle o
thorns on his shoulders in punishment
for offering God the cheapest gift from
his field. Dante refers to this in the
'Inferno." canto XXX, line 1913
where he speaks of "Cair
with fork Of thorns,' anc
again in canto ii of the Paradise" hi
mentions "the gloomy spots upon this
body" (the moon's) (Which below OF
earth give rise to talk OF Cain" The
Jews have a story that Jacobs face il
visible in the moon. According to ;
French superstition it is Judas Is
CARROT, who was transported there fol
his treason. Grimm tells us that {
religious superstition is handed dowr
by Berthold, 1850, that the moon i!
Mary Magdalene and the spots are
her tears of repentance.
In Greenland the sun and the moor
were said to be brother and sister
Ma ina was leased by her brothe